Article of furniture



Hg. 30v, W4n

Filed Jan 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l C L DEWEY ARTICLE OF FURNITURE 1949 c. DEWEY ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Jan. 6, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 30, 1949 UiNIT-E'D OFFICE.

YAEIZIGLIE F FUBNHU-BE Glarence L. Dewey, -E lkhart, Ind.

ehli ationhnuar 6, -45 ;Ser elli -57 6 7 ZGI m 1 The presentinventionrelates to anarticle of turniture suchasa chair, table, and thelike wh chiis equ pp w t le o u p o -zea or top of some kind. More particnlarly thepresent invention has to. do .with means for joining together the various components, and also certain preformed units, of the furniture article. y partly. but n c mpl t ly, 1 ass mb ing the parts of the furniturearticle at the factory, it is possible with advantage to make a knock-down shipment and then let the dealer or usercoijnplete the assembly. It is anobject, therefore, of my invention to devise a form of connections whereby the several parts'of the furniture article may be finally assembled with a minimum of effort, and yet with assurance of security anddependability. The means for accomplishing this and other objects of my invention centers in a junction fitting of improved and unique cone structiona fitting which, in use, is wh0lly concealed and which lends itself to bracing ofand; attachment to the adjacent parts in a manner whereby to providea resulting structure that is exceedingly strong and rigid.

The herein disclosed furniturearticle, of wl iich a suggestive embodiment is set forth in the accompanying drawings, is illustrated in the manner following:

Figure 1 shows in front elevationa conventional form of chair;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the chair;

Fig. 3 whichis a horizontal section through the chair, taken on line 3 ,3 -of Fi g. 2 ,.shows its two Side units, completely assembled, as separated from the channel bars whicharedesigned for interconnection thereof;

Fi 44 is an enlargeddetail in section, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged :detail in transversesection, takenon line 5?-5 ,of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view lookingtoward the interior .of .the junction fitting -one.-.of which .is attached to each leg;

Fig. 7. which is. a View insection taken on line L-J of- Fig. 8 shows .amodified connection'for the channel barto the. junction fitting; and

'-:Fig. 8 is antelevlational View looking intothe channel of the .bar. end when-made accordingato Fig.7.

The present furniture article, a chair, for example, comprises two units, both alike, but right and left, so that a description of one will sufiice for the other. Each unit comprises front and rear le s L, and a connecting railR therebetween. Iherail, as shown, is extended from the front leg at .a point nearits top tojoin with the rear leg at about the same elevation above which the latter isupzvardlyextended in the form of a support l0 forcarrying, in conjunction with the other unit, a back it enemy-app op i e co -v struction. Likewisea seat or top l2 whichmay be supported over each-connecting rail of the two units is desirably. extendedtherebetween in th ,fine -efi mblybflth urn r arti le- The legs, ,L may be of tubular metallic construction with appropriate configuration to meet esthetic .requirellifints. As shown, each leg in the region where the connectin railR. is joined thereto is of generally rectangular cross-sectional iolgm, adjacent faces being thereby provided. Desirably the cornersbetween these faces are rounded as best shown in Fig. 4. To an inner (one or rn ore),. face of such a leg-I affix a junction fitting J (see Fig. 6) desirably, ,of metal which is die formed, the fitting comprising an angular wall 15 from whose opposite ends are extended wings 1,6,, and l! in substantially right angular relation to. each other. At opposite ends the and,i nterconnecting .angular wall termia e-in com end-ac t 1 11 w t a to n -vv,alls I 8 and 1-9 respectively. Within the box-like structure vthus formed the interconhsstinee ie le we t5 or a seat a ainst which ma b EeS 6d. -W-0 h z m faces o .0 ,of th eash- Gontaet between-the leg and its associated i n. ;.-.ohefit in i onfin d; t the an a in ereeh sctihe tal th ou which o m-ar rality of openings 25 and 26 to facilitate thereh ou hs-b z ne.weld n :conhec o sm with th O enin s moi-pr ximat fa es of th l e. Z tandlflamaim termed through th tw iwings lfizand;I1,;respectiVe1y. -In-the region where the o cninezu isrformed; the win I6 is inset thereacross, as at 510.. Also. in thetopand bottom walls, Iaprovide: holes .and .32, respectively, for the reception of fastening elements (not shown) whereby. tolseoure the seat or top l2 in place.

.A: frontleg and rearleg,..to. each of which is attached a junction fitting of the kind described,

3 may be interconnected by a channel rail R having a web 35 with top and bottom flanges 35 spaced apart sufficiently to receive therebetween the top and bottom walls of the junction fitting. When so disposed, the web lies in contact with the wing I! (see Fig. 4), permitting a brazing connection 3'! to be formed through the opening 29 with the web 35. The opposite end of the connecting rail is similarly joined to the junction box which is afiixed to the second leg in the same unit. In this way two adjacent legs are firmly and rigidly interconnected by the rail R joined at opposite ends to junction fittings, one of which is affixed immovably to each of the two legs. In addition spot welds 38 may be employed to further interconnect the top and bottom of each junction fitting with the adjacent flanges 36 of the connecting rail. 7

With two legs thus interconnected as a unit, the furniture article may be shipped or stored in a knock-down condition. For a chair two such units would be provided, also a back and seat together with the necessary parts for final assembly as will now be explained.

Interconnecting bars B are provided for joining together the two units at both front and rear. Each of these bars may be of channel form, one to extend between a pair of chair front legs and another between a pair of chair rear legs, for attachment to the junction fittings which are affixed thereto. For this purpose, I prefer to use stud bolts 40 (see Fig. 4) each having a fiat head Al which may be spot welded at 6'2 to the web 43 of the connecting bar B. The position of the stud bolt is such that it may be entered through the opening 28 when the end of the connecting bar is brought home against the leg. When so disposed the head 4| will lie within the space afforded by the inset 30, permitting the wing [6 at points above and below the inset to engage with the web of the bar. A spring washer 44 which is fitted around the stud bolt to bear against the inner face of the wing it is adapted to receive pressure from a nut 45 when threaded and tightened upon the bolt. In this way each end of the connecting bar B may be secured to the junction box whereby to interconnect the two units for final assembly.

According to Figs. 7 and 8, insetting of the junction fitting wing l6 may be omitted in which case I prefer to fit in the bar channel a reinforcing plate 47 provided therethrough with a hole having an adjacent recess formed by a flared out edge 48. Through this hole a stud bolt 40 may be inserted with its flat head 4| countersunk within the recess, thereby permitting the plate to lie fiat at all points against the bar web 49. The bar may be securely affixed, as by welds 50, to the reinforcing plate, and the latter, as by welds to the bar web. A bar having two bolts so secured in place may be easily and quickly attached to the junction fittings of two units that are to be joined, thereby completing the assembly of the furniture article in preparation for its use.

The fitting which may be referred to as a junction box is applicable alike to any of the four legs of a furniture article, being reversed in its position when attached to two of them. Its top and bottom walls in conjunction with the wings and angular interconnecting wall define a structure which is receivable within one end of a channel rail which is adapted to be accurately positioned thereto by a brazing connection with the rail web thereupon and be permanently and rigidly joined and welding connections with its flanges. This same fitting, because of its angular interconnecting wall which is apertured, forms a seat against which may be rested an extended portion of adjacent faces of the leg which brazing connections may be made at several points. This fitting lies wholly to the inside of the rail and also of the bar that is joined thereto and so is wholly concealed from view as th furniture article is ordinarily presented to the eye. The ends of the rails and bar which may abut the legs assist in this concealment and also impart rigidit thereto. The final nut and bolt connections whereby the interconnecting bars are secured in place, are also hidden from the normal view yet are easily accessible for operation with a conventional wrench. Because of the secure mounting of the stud bolts in the connecting bars, and the flatwise interengagement of these bars with the end walls of the junction boxes over extended surface areas of the latter, and of reinforcement adjacent these bolts, either by insetting of wings or by addition of a plate to provide extra thickness, adequate provision is made to resist bending, distortion or warping when strains and stresses are encountered even in a high degree. The resulting structure in accordingly both satisfactory in appearance and also strong and rigid, whereby to adapt the furniture article for prolonged and severe service.

The rails and bars, as shown, are identical except as to length, this being an optional matter. For convenience in differentiation I have referred to one as a rail and the other as a bar, but without any intention otherwise to distinguish between them.

I claim:

1. In a furniture article, four legs angular in cross section and each leg having two inner adjacent faces arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other, four junction fittings permanently secured to said legs, each fitting comprising a centrally arranged angular wall formin a seat for said legs and presenting surfaces arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other and of a size to extend substantially across the major portion of said inner furniture leg surfaces and fitting directly against the same throughout the entire area of said angular wall, a pair of wings extending outwardly from opposite ends of said central angular wall and arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other, and substantially horizontal top and bottom walls connecting the wings and the central angular wall at the upper and lower edges thereof, four junction rails having webs and flanges and extending between the legs and receiving and fitting against the wings and walls of the junction fittings, two of the rails connecting the legs in pairs and permanently secured to the junction fittings, and means for detachably securing the ends of the other two rails to the adjacent junction fittings for detachably connecting the pairs of legs.

2. In a furniture article, four legs angular in cross section and each leg having two inner adjacent faces arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other, four junction fittings permanently secured to said legs, each fitting comprising a centrally arranged angular wall forming a seat for said legs and presenting surfaces arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other and of a size to extend substantially across the major portion of said inner furniture leg surfaces and fitting directly against the same throughout the entire area of said angular wall, a pair of wings extending outwardly from opposite ends of said central angular wall and arranged in substantially right angular relation to each other, and substantially horizontal top and bottom walls connectin the wings and the central angular wall at the upper and lower edges thereof, four rails having webs and flanges and extending between the legs and receivin and fitting against the wings and walls of the junction fittings, two of the rails connecting the legs in pairs and permanently secured to the junction fittings, stud bolts fixed to the other two rails and extending through the wings of the adjacent junction fittings, and nuts arranged on said stud bolts and engaging the contiguous wings of the adjacent junction fittings for detachably securing the ends of said other two rails to the same.

CLARENCE L. DEWEY.

, REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

